1. Field of the Invention
A supporting assembly particularly designed to mount and support a lug wrench structure in active engagement about a lug nut but in a manner such that the lever arm portion of the lug wrench extends outwardly at an orientation relative to the wheel such that the foot may be applied to the lever arm and the lug wrench itself is held in place by the subject support assembly independently of the operator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When changing tires on an automobile, truck or light vehicle, the nuts mounting the tire on the wheel of the vehicle are frequently difficult to remove. This is due to the fact that such nuts are oftentimes secured to the wheel by a power driven device. While removing the lug nuts with a similar power driven tool is relatively easy, such tools of course are not normally available in the field when changing a flat tire. As a result, the person changing the tire has to utilize a lug wrench, which may be of conventional design, and apply arm and hand force to the lever arm of the wrench to remove the lug nuts.
The operator is somewhat restricted in that the lug wrench must be maintained in place about the lug nut by one hand and force must be applied to the lever arm with the other hand and arm. Therefore, the operator is restricted from putting the full force or weight of his body onto the lever arm of the lug wrench since it is of course imperative that the head or socket portion of the wrench must be maintained in surrounding engagement about the lug nut being removed or tightened.
Even when such lug nuts are not applied by power driven tools, a person such as a woman, teenagers, etc. frequently do not have the strength to remove the lug nut when applying only one hand and arm to the lever arm of the wrench as set forth above.
Prior art devices representative of existing and commercially available equipment are disclosed in the following United States Patents: U.S. Pat. No. 2,459,672; U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,412; U.S. Pat. No. 3,262,341; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,614,444.
These problems could be overcome to a large extent if a lug wrench structure, either specifically or conventionally designed, could be maintained in place about or in engagement with the lug nut independent of the operator holding it in such place. This would free the arms and/or hands and feet of the operator so that he could effectively stand on the lever arm of the lug wrench with at least one foot thereby applying almost the full force of his weight to the lever arm. In order to accomplish this free and substantially independent positioning of the lug wrench in operative engagement with a lug nut, some type of support assembly is needed to properly orient the lug wrench without requiring holding it in place by the operator thereof. This would of course overcome the above set forth problems and allow a greater portion of the weight and force of the body to be applied to a distal end of the lever arm of the lug wrench to either remove or replacce a lug nut.